A state university system in the United States is a group of public universities supported by an individual state, or a similar entity such as the District of Columbia. These systems constitute the majority of public-funded universities in the country. Each state supports at least one such system.

Federal funded colleges and universities are limited to military personnel and government employees. Members of foreign militaries and governments also attend some schools. These schools include the United States military academies, Naval Postgraduate School, and military staff colleges.

A state university system normally means a single legal entity and administration, but may consist of several institutions, each with its own identity as a university. Some states—such as California and Texas—support more than one such system.

State universities get subsidies from their states. The amount of the subsidy varies from university to university and state to state, but the effect is to lower tuition costs below that of private universities. As more and more Americans attend college, and private tuition rates increase well beyond the rate of inflation, admission to state universities is becoming more and more competitive.

Boise State University is a public university located in Boise, Idaho. Originally founded in 1932 as a junior college by the Episcopal Church, the university became an independent institution in 1934, and has been awarding baccalaureate and master degrees since 1965. With nearly 20,000 students, Boise State has the largest enrollment of higher education institutions in the state of Idaho.

Boise State offers 201 degrees in 190 fields of study and has more than 100 graduate programs, including the MBA and MAcc programs in the College of Business and Economics; Masters and PhD programs in the Colleges of Engineering, Arts & Sciences, and Education; and the MPA program in the College of Social Sciences & Public Affairs.

The university's athletic teams, the Broncos, participate in NCAA Division I athletics (FBS for football) as a member of the Mountain West Conference

Boise State University was founded in 1932 as Boise Junior College by the Episcopal Church, which created the school from the earlier St. Margaret's School, an Episcopal school founded in 1892 in nearby Christ Chapel. BSU's founding president was Middleton Barnwell, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Idaho. After two years the school became independent, and, in 1940, moved from St. Margaret's Hall to its present site along the south bank of the Boise River between Capitol Boulevard and Broadway Avenue.